


And Panic

by sarizzel



Series: The Excessive Backstories for Roleplaying Characters. [4]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Fluff, Kid!Fic, Original Character(s), Panic Attacks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-25
Updated: 2014-05-25
Packaged: 2018-01-26 11:30:57
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 636
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1686767
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sarizzel/pseuds/sarizzel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The first time they shared fear</p>
            </blockquote>





	And Panic

1990   
Sam is 5 Tyd is 8

“Mama Grace? I’m home” Tyd calls leaving his school bag by the door and bounding through the first floor to find his mom.   
“Grace… ?” Tyd freezes in the doorway of the lounge, his excitement defusing.   
“What’s wrong? ...What happened to him?” Tyd asks quietly, staring down at them. 

Grace crouched beside side Sam, rubbing soothing circles on his back with her palm, “I… I Don’t know… He won’t talk to me,” Grace’s expression is pained and despairing when she glances up from her youngest son. 

Tyd wonders if it’s because she’s been hurt, but quickly decides it’s from not being able to help her child. Tyd feels a similar hopelessness welling up inside him as he crosses the room to stand beside her.   
Sam doesn’t seem to register that they’re there. He’s curled in on himself and trembling uncontrollably, his knuckles white from clinging to himself and his face is tucked out of view.

“Can I try?” Tyd asks after a moment of watching his younger brother, Grace stands to let him take her place beside the brunette, “I’ll get some water” Tyd watches her back disappear into the kitchen before focussing his attention on the boy beside him.

“Sammy?” He doesn’t know whether or not the boy can hear him, but he continues talking in a low voice as he reaches out a hesitant hand to touch Sam’s shoulder. 

Sam doesn’t speak, but almost as soon as Tyd touches him, the younger flings himself into his arms, clinging to him desperately and burying his face in Tyd’s jumper. “Hey… I’ve got ya… ” Tyd babbles soothing words, wrapping his arms around Sam tighter as he realises he is crying.

Sam is unable to understand what happened to him in his own mind let alone explain what was wrong to his mother and older brother when asked. He had been fine, nothing had happened, he hadn’t tripped or seen a monster in the shadows… But all of a sudden a wave of fear and panic had swept over him and he was helpless to stop it.

He couldn’t breathe; like something had wrapped around his chest and tightened its grip until he was suffocating from it. He couldn’t stop trembling or crying, there was a dizziness that was more like falling from a great height blindfolded. A deafening pounding in his ears. He couldn’t speak through the panic’s hold of him and it was hurting mama Grace. 

He could feel the warm hand on his back and when it left, the sense of complete isolation was like falling further into the inky darkness around him. Tightening the vice on his chest and amplifying the pain in his head.

There were no discernible words but through the overwhelming onslaught on his senses he hear Tyd, and felt his cool hand on his shoulder. He couldn’t help but throw himself in Tyd’s direction and cling to him for fear of him leaving or losing him. Tyd’s voice and smell are familiar and the arms wrapped around him securely slows the falling. Eventually he feels Tyd’s cool fingers combing through his hair.

It takes a while for the episode to pass and a few minutes after that to stop the crying. That isn’t last attack he has in his lifetime, but as he grows older he explains it feeling a bit like having a heart attack and losing your mind. Tyd’s presence and comfort become a reliable method of preventing an attack or at least lessening the severity. Sam learns to keep control for longer and Tyd doesn’t ask questions or complain when Sam suddenly seeks him out and silently curls up in his lap and clings to him. He just makes himself as comfortable as possible and holds him until it’s over.


End file.
